Hamlet (Play on Shakespeare) (Paperback)
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Staff Reviews
“Seems," madam? Nay, it is; I know not "seems." In this brief quote from Act One, Scene Two of Hamlet, Shakespeare gives up what I feel is the central theme of the entire play. Yes, there is a revenge plot, a murder cover-up, a play within a play, but everything comes back to seeming. In what is one of the great works of drama, the Bard hides much in layers of seeming. I have read this play several times, and each time I find yet another way of looking at something that adds yet another layer of meaning to the words on the page. This is one of Shakespeare’s most complex works because everything has multiple layers of meaning. If you only read one Shakespeare play (and that would be a travesty) make it this one.
— ScottDescription
To thine own text be true—Lisa Peterson’s translation of Hamlet into contemporary American English makes the play accessible to new audiences while keeping the soul of Shakespeare’s writing intact.
Lovers of Shakespeare’s language take heart: Lisa Peterson’s translation of Hamlet into contemporary American English was guided by the principle of “First, do no harm.” Leaving the most famous parts of Hamlet untouched, Peterson untied the language knots that can make the rest of the play difficult to understand in a single theatrical viewing. Peterson’s translation makes Hamlet accessible to new audiences, drawing out its timeless themes while helping to contextualize "To be, or not to be: that is the question," and “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,” so that contemporary audiences can feel their full weight.
This translation of Hamlet was written as part of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Play On! project, which commissioned new translations of thirty-nine Shakespeare plays. These translations present work from "The Bard" in language accessible to modern audiences while never losing the beauty of Shakespeare’s verse. Enlisting the talents of a diverse group of contemporary playwrights, screenwriters, and dramaturges from diverse backgrounds, this project reenvisions Shakespeare for the twenty-first century. These volumes make these works available for the first time in print—a new First Folio for a new era.
About the Author
Lisa Peterson is a two-time OBIE award-winning director and writer. She created and cowrote An Iliad, with Denis O’Hare, based on Homer’s epic poem. She also recently directed their second collaboration, The Good Book, at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. In addition to many classic plays, Lisa has directed new works across the country.